Genesis of the Daleks alone makes this one of the greatest seasons ever. It's dark and gritty, with complex characters and healthy doses of action and political intrigue. And it's not afraid to show that the Doctor is fallible, that from time to time he will fail.

Tom Baker is still kicking at 89!

The 70a with Tom Baker really was the golden age for Doctor Who.

Ark in Space and Genesis of the Daleks are stone cold classics. And I found the Cyberman serial to be more fun than it deserved to be. This is really the beginning of the series’ absolute peak, as you will never see a pair as tight as Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen. What a great season!

I used to climb head first into my green sleeping bag and crawl around the house like a wirrn lavae just to scare my little brother.

The best channel for new-who-bies to 'research' old-classic-who. The production design, spfx, and 4-part episodes look like yer grandad but the stories they tell are worth it. Eccleston was grumpy, Tennant romantic, Smith hype,r and Capaldi defiant. Tom Baker had / has all of these things. Mercurial. Always slighly ahead of command without necessarily chewingall of the cardboard scenery. Hence jelly babies to get rid of some of the taste. I thank you !

As an 8 yr old in 1975 Tom Baker was my Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen my first crush.

Tom is and will always be my Doctor Who

Yes the writing for Doctor Who was really brilliant. Some of it looks dated now but give me season 12 of the classic series over season 12 of the modern series any day.

Omigod Sarah Jane Smith was absolutely delish!

"No im the doctor...." "You may be A doctor.....but i am THE doctor....the definitive article as it were.... " And so it was, so will it always be. 'Nuff Said.

My first introduction to Doctor Who were the movies with Peter Cushing as the doctor and the Daleks. But, when the series came to the states, I was hooked. Tom Baker IS THE DOCTOR!!!! Nuff said. 👍

Ahh yes Tom Baker! My first Doctor. And the first Episode I ever saw was "Ark in Space"

Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen. GOAT. Thank you for a great childhood behind the sofa Doctor!

Love the reviews, ads for pastries, and the snarky comments. Keep up the good work.

Revenge of the Cybermen was (sort of) my 1st story as well. In the early 80s, I was in Florida and caught one of the episodes. Back then, DW was a show I only knew about from Starlog magazine, and occasional trips to Florida, the only place that I knew had a station that aired the show. It wasn't until a few years later before a local UHF station began running the show that I saw the whole serial (sort of...UHF meant screen snow)

Thanks for putting this together! Every minute of every episode of this season was burned into my brain as a child. Dodgy video effects aside - the stories still hold up against modern Who ... in my opinion. - Martin

It was like a new Golden Age for Doctor Who.

"Make no mistake, this is a Davros story"......as would most Dalek stories that followed.

My mother in law knitted me the classic scarf, at full size. Unfortunately i live in qld so dont get many opportunities to bust it out. But it shows how iconic the baker dr was. No one wants to pin celery to their jacket or dress like a dandy or a circus clown.

I still have my old VHS of Revenge of the Cybermen - something special about it for me too ~

Yeah the other Doctors mainly refer to Patrick Troughton as their inspiration but secretly they all wish to be as big as Tom Baker.

I've watched all your Doctor Who series reviews so far and they're very good. I love the humour. Thanks.

Sorry to hear about the warts although I do share the fond memories. "Literal headcanon" lol, I'm saving that one

Doctor Who and the Croissants Of Death

I never watched Doctor Who, though PBS carried it when I was a little kid. I would catch snippets of it while waiting for Sesame Street to come on. I loved the theme song. Anyway, I’ve always been curious about what makes it so great, and these reviews have been enlightening.

hell yes! as an american kid during the tom baker years i had to search weird pbs channels and late night tv to find Dr Who and Tom Baker is the Dr to me! edit: by the time i was watching it in earnest it was all re runs of older episodes but they got me, i was addicted for sure :)

Some actors considered for the 4th dr were peter Cushing,david Warner,Fulton Mackay,Graham crowden.richard hearne,Michael Bentine but thankfully tom Baker was chosen.

was about 7 when this season was on tv , ark in space was very creepy for me back then , feel very lucky to be alive then and witness the tom baker era

Damn, now I want some of those original Stam Fine croissants... I always remember Ark in Space for the great acting somehow overcoming the cheapness of the effects. You really feel the horror of the guy looking at his hand and screaming when seeing his hand is being corrupted when you can tell it's actually just covered in green bubble wrap!

This is my 2nd favorite season (season 6 forever!) and boy is it ever fun to watch all 5 in a row! I don`t have a worst episode in this season, which is rare for me.

GENESIS OF THE DALEKS. My favorite of Season 12, my favorite 4th Doctor story and my favorite Doctor Who story overall!

Ah, yes - the Palitoy 'Action Man' Scorpion tank; - i never had one...

Love all the portrayals of the Doctor, but Tom Baker's will always be the definitive for me.

Congratulations on the Croisant, I think you hit a winner.

Where can I get your croissants? They look good.

I’ve liked most of the other doctors. MOST were good, a few were great or near-great . But NONE can ever hope lo touch Tom. His turn’s combination of bug-eyed amusement, intellectual heft and - by-turns - whimsy and deadly seriousness can never be replicated or equaled. One of the greats in the history of television.

Great narration, wonderful voice and excellent clips - thank you!

Who knew Dr. Wily was in classic Who?

Tom Baker sold me on Scarfs.

My wife always laughs at The Sontaran Experiment: "Humans are vulnerable to being crushed by heavy rocks, we should work that into our battle plans. Humans are vulnerable to having their heads caved in by old-timey telephones, we should work that into our battle plans!" Oh, and PS: Loving these recaps.

Love u tom baker from Mississippi usa u a blessing from the teash we get on the telly now.

I loved To first few seasons and enjoyed most of his middle years. Season 18 though was so sombre, science overloaded and quite frank humourless and dull. I really wish Tom had left a season or two earlier. He was the best of Doctors but not for his entire tenure. Anyone who doubts this (it was a while back now) the ratings were dropping in the later 17 episodes (with the famous exception such as the magnificent City of Death) and much deeper in season 18. That's right not all of Tom's tenure was popular. We just fortunately remember the best bits when he shone like a diamond. Post Note: I loved Harry Sullivan and as we know Ian Marter and Tom were great mates.

Helen Wirrn! Haha!

The Vogons, who torture with their poetry. 😁

Best Doctor.

Tom is the LEGEND

Tom Baker was the dr I grew up with

I'm watching pyramid of Mars it's great

I would *definitely* have one of Tom Bakers Jelly Babies

Ah, the Robert Holmes Season. So what. Genesis was lightly touched and remains the fandom's epitome.

@1:46 The pockets became a fun recurring joke throughout the show. My favourite instance is in The Runaway Bride, where Donna rants to 10 about her wedding dress having no pockets. 🤣

It's the REAL butter from Gallifrey that makes Stam Fine Croissants so Fine. Tom is the Baker.

Harrys a classic "nice but dim".

I first encountered 'Robot' as 'Doctor Who and the Giant Robot' (courtesy of Terrance Dicks) on our bookshelf at home when I was in single figures. It miss-sold the story on many terms (it's almost a crossover into your review of The Goodies) but as a contrast to his predecessor, Tom cannot be faulted.

5:47 Tonka tank attack!

The fundamental problem with “Genesis of the Daleks” is it’s impossible for the Doctor the stop the Daleks. It’s a perfect example of a time paradox. Even Time Lords can’t pull that off (unless the writers let them).

I always wanted the Action Man tank

7:36 I have created the Wirrn personally. I have spit the DNA of bubble wrap and a grasshopper. Thus the Wirrm. You can thank me! 😂

Sarah Jane Smith has a place in my heart,always will.

Loved Dr. Who. I'd record it and fast forward through any scene without Tom. Thanks for the videos!!! 📺📺📺

Strewth, I could do with a tasty Aussie pastry 'bout now. Any recommendations?

Goddammit now I want a croissant 🤣🤣🤣

I made friends with a girl, while we were both on a tour in North Africa. She was a journalist with the BBC and said, unfortunately, that Baker had been creepy and inappropriate to her on an occasion where she’d had to interview him.

It was Barry Letts who suggested Nation write about the genesis of the Daleks. Not Terrance Dicks.

2:51 " lieutenant" is pronounced "Lef-tenant", unless you are American...

Love my classic Who.. and the croissants just make it the tops lol

Croissants originated in Austria.

As to be said, and I’m a huge fan of Hartnell, Troughton & Pertwee, Tom Baker eclipsed his predecessors in one fell swoop with his first season. Huge ratings, gritty storylines, probably the best regular team and Baker’s performance was far more alien, eccentric, brooding and the most famous and iconic than those before or after.

Where can I order the Stam Fine Amazing No Carb Crossiants?

"Revenge of the Cybermen introduces gold as a substance that can choke Cybermen. So of couse a legendary planet of gold would give them the screaming shits." 😄

Tom Baker was the best and many many years later we was introduced to tom baker equal and that was David Tennant the two best doctor who actor's and when i saw the new tv show sherlock in 2010 i wanted Benedict Cumberbatch to be played as the doctor as at the time he wasn't as big as an actor back then and if there was going to be a big budget film he would of been my first choice

What is the BBC's logic with the new (well, last year) Blu Ray box sets? They seem to just picking seasons at random, and released them all at once. I've not bought any yet, as I don't want to waste my money if the Beeb isn't going to follow through and release all of them. They (as usual) don't mind us paying through the bloody nose for them, either...

I’ve read they admitted it was a mistake writing out Harry Sullivan

There have been rumours for nearly 40 years that season 12 of Dr Who was initially intended to be the 6th season for Jon Pertwees 3rd Dr the question is would season 12 have worked as a Jon Pertwee season or was it better that it was Tom Kakers 1st season

Only Tom Baker...

never showed the inside of the tardis this season, not once

Oh Sarah...

I hope to encounter the Final Countdown in any future videos with a missile launch or similar

Baker and croissants, surely fate is having a laugh.

2023 davros.. nuff said

mmm, croissant!

Wouldn't you need 50% fewer calories (not just 5%.. and not less, fewer) to be able to have twice as many?

Love all of Who history, but Tom Baker will always be my Doctor. There is a 13 way tie for second place. Like your reviews, but lord can you ride a running gag into the ground.

The speech patterns and pitch of Davros were modelled on the Nazi prosecutor Roland Friessler.

Tom Baker is the Connery or Reeve Doctor Who .This is a great season in terms of writing and acting .The season is only let down by low budgets and dated special effects

With less calories so you can have twice as many...

Go check your dates he's not the longest serving Doctor, but it's a common mistake.

You need to work on your pronunciation of croissant! Hehe! It’s pronounced qua- sont!

This one also has a mighty nose lol

Dude, give the croissants a REST.

It's pronounced "kwa-sans". It's French, you know.

Revenge of the Cybermen was crap but Gerry Davis original script for the story return of the Cybermen is millions of times better

ah memories..... It was so good then, pity about now

this was when Dr Who was great .

croissant doesn't have a hard 't'

My all time favourite Dr Who enemies are the Cybermen and the various humanoid enemies like the Draconians IMO the Daleks are dull in comparison and even before the creator the dreaded Davros half Kaled and half Dalek was introduced to Dr Who as a recurring villain worked millions and billions of times better when lead by Emperor Daleks and or Supreme Daleks but once Davros came along as the Dalek creator and never went away after genesis of the Daleks which IMO Davros should have been killed off and retired from Dr Who permanently after Genesis instead of returning 4 more times to the remaining 4 Dalek serials Destiny, Resurrection Revelation and finally Remembrance but come Remembrance Davros is no longer half Kaled the race the Daleks were as humanoids and no longer half Dalek the race the Kaleds mutated into . Davros in Remembrance became a full Dalek and was now the Emperor Dalek .I hated the Davros villain with a passion and I seriously wish in billions of ways Davros had never existed

Uber driver? How old are you, like 12?

It's all very good as i do enjoy your delivery and take on the show and the general facts about the stories,then you go and make up random stuff for the sake of a joke,then there's the unfunny running gags which ruin the flow,now after watching around 8 of these reviews i'm expecting a bad joke that keeps coming back and interfering with the actual review,or your obsession with singing Daleks,so it's a dislike from me.

Croissant jokes are cringe. Pls stop.